# £500 Christmas Crackers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 16, 2019, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531 "2019-11-16T07:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/21 "2019-11-18T08:45:40Z")
Well I guess the point is that each cracker contains a gift, so the value of that gift is going to have a pretty momentous impact on the price of the cracker. I can imagine the Harrods’ ones have decent value jewelry/cufflinks/nut crackers and the like. And I bet the hats are a step above the normal tissue paper variety. My Mum has always bought cheap crackers and then stuffed them with better value gifts. My friend has an annual Christmas get together meal for friends and stuffs her crackers with spliffs. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/22 "2019-11-19T02:38:13Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Well I guess the point is that each cracker contains a gift, so the value of that gift is going to have a pretty momentous impact on the price of the cracker. I can imagine the Harrods’ ones have decent value jewelry/cufflinks/nut crackers and the like. And I bet the hats are a step above the normal tissue paper variety. > > My Mum has always bought cheap crackers and then stuffed them with better value gifts. My friend has an annual Christmas get together meal for friends and stuffs her crackers with spliffs. This is what I asked in the OP. Perhaps the trinkets are better, but the website does not say what is in the silly things. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/23 "2019-11-19T03:06:44Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > This is what I asked in the OP. Perhaps the trinkets are better, but the website does not say what is in the silly things. Ah, I found reference to the £500 Christmas crackers [here](http://www.victoriana.com/Christmas_Crackers/). It says: > [@](#): > > Cracker gifts include a Halycon Days 18kt gold and enamel plated bangle, Harrods of London crystal pen, Harrods of London cashmere socks, Harrods of London leather luggage tag, St Dupont reversible mother of pearl and onyx cufflinks and Harrods of London leather credit card case. Finished with the signature hat, snap and joke and presented in a Harrods white and gold box for a touch of Christmas spirit. Box of 6 is £499.00 but, disappointingly only available for UK delivery. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/24 "2019-11-19T03:10:37Z")
wow that is swank Harrods branded stuff is collectible usually …sounds like an award show swag bag … they should auction a few on e-bay for charity … ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/25 "2019-11-19T03:15:33Z")
I thought “Christmas cracker” was just a mean nickname for Santa. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/26 "2019-11-19T03:27:32Z")
I don’t think I would shell out 500 £ or $ for a cracker, edible or otherwise, but I’ve occasionally gone out with friends for the so-called “hundred dollar hamburger” which is actually just as likely to be a full restaurant meal as a fast-food snack, and which actually costs more like $150 to $200 at today’s prices. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/27 "2019-11-19T05:46:18Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > The stuff is a cracker is _supposed to be_ shoddy. For those who do not use them every year, imagine the toy you get in a box of Cracker Jacks. It is like that. Not necessarily. My grandmother, at whose house we had Christmas dinner when I was a child, would buy the most expensive Christmas crackers she could find. The gifts inside the crackers reflected that. While the gifts in Grandma’s crackers were nothing like Harrod’s onyx cufflinks or gold-plated bangles, I do recall finding a 2-inch diameter magnifying glass (made of glass), in a metal frame, with a knurled metal handle, in my cracker one Christmas. Not quite what you’d find in a box of Cracker Jacks. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/28 "2019-11-19T09:05:42Z")
Thank you **Spoons** and **Pulykaell.**. Thank you all. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/29 "2019-11-19T12:33:11Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I thought “Christmas cracker” was just a mean nickname for Santa. You win the thread. Wonderful answer in the Doper tradition! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/30 "2019-11-19T14:00:55Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > This meaning of the word “cracker” and the item itself seems to be British. I’m not aware of these things existing in the US. They’re out there. My mom was from the UK, so these things (cheap crackers, not the ridiculous ones from Harrod’s) have been a tradition in my extended family for years. More info: > **[Christmas cracker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cracker)** > > Christmas crackers are festive table decorations that make a snapping sound when pulled open, and typically contain a small gift, paper hat and a joke. They are part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. > A cracker consists of a segmented cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper with a prize in the centre, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pull... Was amused to discover upon reading that link, that you are not allowed to bring those things on commercial flights in the US, thanks to the tiny amount of explosive they use to produce their cracking sound when you rip them open ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/31 "2019-11-19T19:19:24Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > They sell them here (Austin TX USA), at World Market for one. I don’t know anyone who has ever bought them. I haven’t (but I might some day.) They aren’t hugely expensive though. Hey, I wonder if something bad would pop out of one if I got them for Thanksgiving and had my guests “pop” them after the turkey. I’ll report back. Well I just returned from Cost Plus World Market with my (wait for it) Thanksgiving Crackers! I don’t know what all is in the ones I bought. They had two kinds for Thanksgiving; one kind said each cracker contained a joke, a hat and a wind-up plastic turkey so your guests could have a race. I got the other ones because I like to be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/32 "2019-11-19T20:17:47Z")
It’s always a paper hat, printed jokes, and a little toy. Jokes are usually puns or “why did the chicken cross the road?” sort of thing, to appeal to the younger generation. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/33 "2019-11-19T20:41:37Z")
Do they get the jokes from Cracker Jack? Or is that why Cracker Jack is CRACKER Jack, because they’re kin? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/34 "2019-11-20T09:39:36Z")
[This one shows the possibilities.](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fortnum-mason-triple-berry-crackers/?pkey=s%7Cchristmas%20crackers%7C16) The wooden items can be purchased for less than a dollar at aliexpress. The nicest I would say is the magnifying glass; I’ve seen similar ones for $3 at American Science and Surplus. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/35 "2019-11-20T13:35:12Z")
All in all, buy empty ones and fill them as you like. It is another way to be creative in gift-giving. In other news, I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/36 "2019-11-20T13:40:45Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > … a wind-up plastic turkey… Oh, I SO want one of those! (for the cat, of course ;)) ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/37 "2019-11-20T15:50:47Z")
A friend and I were discussing these crackers this morning and we feel there is a market for Adult Crackers. Like, a dirty joke, a pack of condoms/dildo; and what could be the hat? If you decide to go into manufacturing you may have this idea for free but you must send us a box of crackers. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/38 "2019-11-20T16:02:23Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > A friend and I were discussing these crackers this morning and we feel there is a market for Adult Crackers. Like, a dirty joke, a pack of condoms/dildo; and what could be the hat? If you decide to go into manufacturing you may have this idea for free but you must send us a box of crackers. As always, [someone else got there first](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kinky-Crackers-Sensations-Adult-Premium/dp/B018J13YRM) (amazon uk link). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/39 "2019-11-20T16:04:48Z")
I hate these things. My wife festoons the tree with them every year, and every year they get ignored and put back in the box for the next year. I think we’ve opened one or two, and everything inside and the packaging went straight into the trash. Waste paper. Can’t even wipe your arse with the paper crown. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531/40 "2019-11-20T21:53:37Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > A friend and I were discussing these crackers this morning and we feel there is a market for Adult Crackers. Like, a dirty joke, a pack of condoms/dildo; and what could be the hat? If you decide to go into manufacturing you may have this idea for free but you must send us a box of crackers. The condom is the hat, of course. Bonus points if the condom is one of those fluorescent red or green ones, to get in the Christmas spirit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-christmas-crackers/843531.md?page=3)